Gauge holder



June 2, 1970' E. P. THOMPSON 3,515,398

GAUGE HOLDER Filed Feb. 7, 1968 v 2 Sheets-Sheet l EG .1 f7

INVENTOR. [LA/0T7 2 THOMPSON E. THOMPSON 3,515,398

' GAUGE HOLDER June 2, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 7, 1968 I NVENTOR.

THOMPSON 47' TOENE/S'.

3,515,398 GAUGE HOLDER Elliott P. Thompson, Whittier, Calif. (P.O. Box 204, Mammoth Lakes, Calif. 93546) Filed Feb. 7, 1968, Ser. No. 703,684 Int. Cl. B25b 3/00, /10

US. Cl. 279-14 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The field of the invention This invention pertains to a gripping device for holding plug gauges.

The prior art In checking measurements with a plug gauge, normally the gauge is held by a handle that facilitates use of the gauge. These handles conventionally have end openings, and are provided with collet-type bushings to grip the ends of the gauges inserted into the openings. In vieW of the fact that plug gauges come in a wide variety of sizes, it is necessary to employ several handles to accommodate the full range of gauges. Each handle must have numerous different size bushings for gripping a range of plug gauges. Thus, it has been necessary to purchase and maintain many different parts for the gripping of a full range of plug gauges. The necessity for securing several sizes of handles and many collet bushings is a matter of substantial expense. Moreover, the changing of the bushings and matching them to the handles, and the selection of the proper sizes of each, are time-consuming operations. In addition, the bushings are subject to breakage, resulting in a continual maintenance expense for a set of gripping devices for gauges.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention includes a duality of elongated rigid members held together by a screw and aligned by a guiding arrangement. At the outer ends of the opposed surfaces of the members are longitudinally extending recesses. These are adapted to grip gauges inserted therebetween upon tightening of the fastener. Additional transverse recesses are provided inwardly of the outer ends for similarly gripping gauges. The transversely extending recesses normally may be made larger than the longitudinal recesses for accommodating gauges of larger dimensions.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved holder for plug gauges or other objects.

Another object of this invention is to provide a gauge holder that will accommodate gauges of many different sizes and without the necessity for collet bushings.

A further object of this invention is to provide a gauge holder that is economical to manufacture and simple to use.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a gauge holder that is usable also as a depth gauge.

United States Patent 0 Patented June 2, 1970 These and other objects will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the gauge holder of this invention as used in retaining gauges in the longitudinal direction;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan veiw of the upper gauge-holding member;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the lower gauge-holding member; 7

FIG. 5 is a transverse view taken along line '55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the device as used in holding gauges transversely.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The gauge holder of this invention includes a duality of elongated rigid members 9 and 10. These members are held together by a screw 11 that slidably fits through an opening 12 in the member 9 and into a tapped hole 13 in the other elongated member 10. The head 14 of the screw 11 is received in a recess 15 so that the top of the head 14 is substantially flush with the outer surface of the member 9. The screw head is Wider than the member 9, so that the knurled side edge of the head 14 may be gripped for rotating the screw.

At its central portion, the upper member 9 includes a pair of straight flat depending flanges 16 and 17 along its sides. These flanges are parallel to the screw 11 and extend longitudinally of the members 9 and 10. The lower member 10 at its center includes an elongated upward projection 18 that fits between the flanges 16 and 17. The sidewalls 19 and 20 of the projection complementarily engage the inner surfaces of the flanges 16 and 17 (see FIG. 7). Consequently, the presence of the projection 18 between the flanges 16 and 17 maintains the members 9 and 10 in longitudinal alignment, preventing rotational movement in the transverse direction. A depending boss 21 is formed on the undersurface of the section 18 and includes the tapped opening 13 that receives the shank of the screw 11. This construction, therefore, permits the members 9 and 10 to move toward and away from each other, but in an aligned relationship. The guiding arrangement is effective, yet is simple and integral with members 9 and 10, requiring no auxiliary parts.

To the right of the central portion, as the gauge holder is illustrated, the adjacent portions of the members 9 and 10 include enlarged opposed recesses 22 and 23. Toward their outer ends, the members 9 and 10 include notches which provide the jaw portions of the gauge holder that are adapted to receive and hold the gauges to be used. In providing these jaws, the member 9 includes V-shaped transverse grooves 24 and 25. The latter groove is smaller than the groove 24 and positioned outwardly of it. These are opposed by similar notches 26 and 27 in the lower member 10. A third and still smaller groove 28 is included in the member 10.

Longitudinal grooves also are provided in the members 9 and 10. Thus, extending inwardly from the outer end of the member 9 are grooves 29 and 30, which are opposed by similer V-shaped grooves 31 and 32 in the member A third and smaller longitudinal groove 33 is included also in the member 10.

The opposite ends of the members 9 and 10 are similar in configuration. Thus, there are enlarged recesses 34 and 35 in these two members adjacent the central portion. Beyond this, the member 9 has V-shaped transverse notches 36 and 37 opposed by similar notches 38 and 39 in the member 10. A small groove 40 is provided transversely in the inner face of the member 10. In addition, there are longitudinal V-shaped grooves 41 and 42 in the member 9 and opposed grooves 43 and 44 in the member 10 together with a third small groove 45.

This arrangement allows the gauge holder of this invention to hold a variety of different gauge sizes through a wide dimensional range. The gauges are positioned between the appropriately selected opposed notches and held in place by tightening of the screw 11. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plug gauge 47 is illustrated in phantom as being held by the sloping walls of the V-shaped notches 29 and 31. These recessed surfaces, converging toward their inner ends, allow the gauge to be firmly wedged in place and held without danger of movement. The association of the gauge with the supporting device is easily effected by loosening the screw 11 and slipping the gauge into position, followed by tightening of the screw. No collets or other complicated devices are necessary, nor need any special bushings be selected and associated with the gauge holder.

Many gauges are manufactured to have a reduced diameter portion at the central area, such as the center portion 48 of the plug gauge 47. It is this center portion that is inserted between the jaws formed at the grooves 29 and 31, while the larger portions, Where the actual measurement may be taken, project outwardly from the portion gripped. The recesses 22 and 23 inwardly of the jaws provide a clearance so that there is no Contact with the gauge at that location. The jaws are dimensioned in length beyond the recesses 22 and 23 a distance slightly less than that of a typical center portion of a gauge, allowing the jaws to engage the gauge at its central portion yet over a maximum length to assure firm retention.

Two gauges may be held at the same time by the gauge holder device of this invention, such as the second gauge 50 at the end opposite from the gauge 47. The gauge 50 in this instance is held between the grooves 41 and 43 in the same manner that the gauge 47 is held in the grooves 29 and 31. This allows the gauge holder to retain both a go and a no-go gauge. Also, the members 9 and 10 may cock slightly relative to each other to accommodate a larger gauge at one end than at the other. For a ready identification of the gauges, the end 52 of the assembly is provided with rounded corners, While the end 53 is made flat. Also, on the members may be inscribed the words go and no-go as indicated.

In the case of gauges of the smallest sizes, the grooves 33 and 45 are employed. In view of the small dimensions of such gauges, there are no grooves opposing the grooves 33 and 45. They merely are clamped by the fiat surfaces of the member 9 that push the small gauges into the V-shaped grooves beneath them.

The transverse grooves of the members 9 and 10 are used to retain the gauges in the same manner as the longitudinally extending end grooves. This is illustrated in FIG. 8, Where gauges 54 and 55 are shown at the ends 52 and 53 of the assembled gauge holder. The center portion of the gauge 54 is wedged into the two grooves 24 and 26, while the other gauge 55 is held at the grooves 36 and 38. The widths of the members 9 and 10 are slightly less than the normal length of the reduced diameter center portion of a gauge. The widths of the members 9 and 10, therefore, are approximately the same as the lengths of the longitudinal jaw recesses.

ii. for measurement project laterally outwardly from the sides of the holding device as the center portion is gripped.

Again, the smallest gauges are held in the shallow grooves 28 and 40, which require no opposing grooves in the member 9. The larger opposed grooves 24 and 26 and the grooves 37 and 39 in the transverse direction may be made bigger than any in the longitudinal direction for retaining gauges of the larger sizes. However, in normal use of the gauge holder, the operator is allowed to associate the gauge with the holder in either the longitudinal or transverse direction, thereby enabling particular preferences to be met and permitting the gauge holder to be adapted to different measurement situations.

To add to the versatility of the device of this invention, it is also usable as a depth gauge by holding a rod in the jaw recesses in the manner of FIGS. 1 and 2. The rod may be bottomed against the inner wall 56 at the inner end of the recess 23 to project outwardly beyond the end 52, being held by the gripping surfaces of the longitudinal recesses of the members 9 and 10. Of course, the opposite end may be used in a similar manner, with the rod for the depth gauge bearing against the surface 57 at the inner end of the recess 35.

The foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as given by way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope of this invention being limited solely by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A gauge-holding device comprising a duality of elongated rigid members,

a screw at the longitudinal center portions of said members,

said screw being slidably received in one of said members and threadedly engaging an opening in the other of said members, whereby said members are held adjustably in adjacency with longitudinal surfaces thereof in opposed relationship,

said members thereby having opposed surfaces, and guide means for holding said members in alignment while permitting movement of said opposed surfaces toward and away from each other,

said guide means including an extension in one of said members, the other of said members including a surface overlapped by said extension,

whereby said extension and said surface 00- operate to prevent relative transverse movement of said members while permitting movement of said opposed surfaces toward and away from each other, each distal end of each of said opposed surfaces including longitudinally extending recesses therein for grippingly engaging a cylindrically shaped member engaged therewith,

said longitudinally extending recesses being of substantially the same length, said members defining a first relatively larger clearance space inwardly of said longitudinally extending recess at one of said distal ends, and a second relatively larger clearance space inwardly of said longitudinally extending recess at the other of said distal ends, each of said opposed surfaces inwardly of said distal ends having at least one transversely extending recess for similarly grippingly engaging a cylindrical member associated therewith, each of said members of said transversely extending recesses being of a width substantially equal to the lengths of said longitudinally extending recesses.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 in which said extension includes a pair of spaced flanges parallel to said Thus, the two end portions of the gauges that are used screw, said surface including parallel portions substantially complementarily received between said flanges in slidable engagement therewith.

3. A device as recited in claim 2 in which said flanges and said surface portions extend longitudinally of said members.

4. A device as recited in claim 1 in which said members define a first transverse abutment at the inner end of said first clearance space, and a second transverse abutment at the inner end of said second clearance space, said screw being intermediate said first and second abutments.

5. A device as recited in claim 4 in which one of said members at said longitudinal center portion thereof includes an outwardly facing recess therein, said recess having open opposite side portions, said screw having a head received in said recess, said head being wider than said member, whereby edge portions of said head extend outwardly of said open side portions, said head having a knurled circumferential surface for facilitating the rotation thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS LESTER M. SWINGLE, Primary Examiner D. D. EVENSON, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 24-125 

